Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently said that his government is linking every assembly constituency to just one circle office in a bid to streamline the administration. Currently, assembly seats are linked to the district headquarters and one district may have several circles and constituencies. ”We are linking every constituency to just one circle office to streamline the administration as we want to synchronise both revenue work and developmental work,” the chief minister said on the second day of the 5th Deputy Commissioners conference here.

Sarma said that his government has initiated large-scale changes in the district administration and a deputy commissioner must not get involved in routine administrative work but spend time on the overall progress in the district across key developmental parameters. Deputy commissioners will be assisted by three additional deputy commissioners who will look after revenue, infrastructure and social welfare, he said.

”The DCs will function as the chief secretary of the district and focus on key development parameters. All work related to the district will now be communicated to them directly by line ministries”, the chief minister said. He said that the guardian ministers will ”function as the chief minister while the DC as the chief secretary in the district.” In 2021, Sarma appointed ‘guardian ministers’ for districts, who will look after various government schemes and resolve issues related to them.

In an effort to create a more efficient force, the Assam Police has directed all its personnel, including all IPS/APS officers and DEF/Bn/Organisations to improve their Body Mass Index (BMI) else they will be offered Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). Director General of Police GP Singh in a tweet stated that all police personnel will be given three months time frame until August to prepare for BMI assessment, which will commence within the following fifteen days.

“We plan to give three months time to all Assam Police personnel including IPS & APS officers till August 15th and then start BMI assessment in the next fifteen days,” Director General of Police GP Singh tweeted today. All those who are in the obese category (BMI 30+) would be offered another three months to reduce weight (till November End) and would be offered Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) after that. However, those who have genuine medical grounds like hypothyroidism will be exempted, Singh said.

This comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Assam Police personnel who are “habitual drinkers” and “physically unfit” will be offered voluntary retirement. The idea behind the initiative is to create a more efficient force and the posts will be filled with fresh recruitment. The CM instructed the top cops to, “cut the deadwood out of the police force.” Sarma has directed the DGP and other higher officials to see whether the police officials are attending the physical fitness exercise, visiting police stations, registering cases and bringing them to a logical conclusion.

In a significant drugs bust, Assam police recently impounded 3 crores worth of illegal substances in the Hailakandi district. During an operation run by the office-in-charge of Jamira PS in Hailakandi, over 332 grams of illegal substances were seized. The police also detained three alleged narcotics smugglers in connection with the operation.

The three people who were taken into custody have been named Nazrul Hussain Borbhuya, Bikram Riyang, and Ajmal Hussain Borbhuyan.

Previously,on March 9, Karimganj police detained three alleged drug dealers and confiscated drugs worth Rs 10 crore from them in the neighbourhood.

The item was seized after a car with the registration number AS 10 F 5299 was stopped by the Karimganj Police, under the command of recently appointed Superintendent of Police (SP) Partha Pratim Das. The police crew found 100 soap boxes filled with drugs originating from Mizoram during their search, and they also apprehended three drug dealers named Kabir Ahmed, Altaf Uddin, and Qadir.

The drugs, according to the authorities, weighed about 1.27 kilograms. The state police have seized drugs worth Rs 1,430 cores in the last two years, according to information provided last week by Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh. A total of 5,580 cases have been reported in the state under the NDPS Act, he added. He added that 9309 drug traffickers had been detained and that property worth Rs 19.40 crore had been frozen in the previous two years. Assam is one of the top 10 states for the number of cases filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The Gauhati High Court will celebrate its Platinum Jubilee, with a host of activities from today, April 5. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with a host of other dignitaries will grace the celebrations. Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court Sandeep Mehta will attend a meeting today. 

President Droupadi Murmu and Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud will attend the function on the 7th of April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the concluding event on the 14th of April.

On this occasion, Gauhati high court will felicitate senior advocates who have completed 50 years of practice. A commemorative postal stamp and the Assamese version of the book Gauhati High Court: History & Heritage will also be released. The Gauhati High Court was established on the 5th of April, 1948 for the seven North Eastern states.

However, subsequent to the establishment of separate high courts for the 3 states, the Gauhati high court now exercises jurisdiction over the remaining four states. 

Krishangee Gauree from Assam has been crowned the Miss Queen of the World in the grand finale of the Queen of the World pageant. She is also the first Indian to win the title. Krishangee Gauree made Assam and India Proud when she won the title of Miss Queen of the World title in the event organised in New Jersey of America. The grand female of the event was organised last week and featured more than 30 contestants from multiple countries.

The event is organised for four categories. They are Miss Queen of the World, Ms Queen of the World, Mrs Queen of the World and the Elite Mrs Queen of the World. India sent four contestants to this year’s pageant, one for each category. Krishangee Gauree, Gitika Karwa, Reshma Jhaveri and Rohini Mathur represented India in this international arena.

This victory in the Queen of the World category is being hailed a historic movement as this is the first time that an Indian has won the title. It is also expected to be a matter of pride and inspire many young girls and women across the country.

The other winners are Ms Queen of the World won by Rachell Diaz representing the Philippines and Mrs Queen of the World won by Hannah Benett, representing Southwest.

Last year, Faron Medhi, who represented Nebraska, was crowned Miss Teen USA 2022 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. Faron Medhi has roots in Assam. She is the daughter of Gautam Medhi, who hails from Assam’s Guwahati. He shifted to the United States in the year 1989.

Her win comes off as the first win from Nebraska since 1983 for the title of Miss Teen USA. Faron Medhi is an 18-year-old high school graduate and model, hailing from Omaha.